Best Lawyers in Louisiana, United States for Admiralty and Maritime Law

Bill Riviere practices in the areas of collision, maritime personal injury, terminal/installation damage, pollution, fire, salvage, maritime lien matters, oilfield indemnity and insurance coverage disputes, and appellate matters. He represents maritime employers, vessel owners, energy interests and their underwriters in personal injury defense litigation, including Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act claims, and represents vessel owners, operators, dock and term...

Stewart focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and creditors’ rights; admiralty and maritime; marine finance and vessel documentation; asset-based finance; litigation, corporate and commercial law; and oil and gas. Stewart has been practicing law in New Orleans for more than 38 years. He is a 1974 graduate of Kenyon College, magna cum laude , where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated top in his class in 1977 from Tulane Law School where he was elected to the Order of the Coif...

Jim Wright is a partner in the Maritime and Litigation practice groups. He represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes, regulatory investigations, and criminal cases. Jim has more than four decades of experience as a trial attorney in civil and criminal jury and judge trials in federal and state courts. His areas of practice include maritime, white collar crime, oil and gas regulatory enforcement, environmental, customs, gaming regulatory enforcement, commercial litigation, pro...

Michael R.C. Riess is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law, Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. Michael R.C., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael R.C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

For more than 25 years, Tim Hassinger has represented companies and insurers in personal injury, commercial, and insurance coverage litigation. He uses a targeted, strategic approach—from early case assessment to trial—to control and efficiently resolve litigation. Tim is AV-Preeminent rated, a Louisiana Super Lawyer®, and serves as Liaison Counsel in complex class actions. He teaches Admiralty at Loyola Law School and presents internationally on injury and contractual claims....

Kathleen Charvet brings more than 25 years’ experience counseling and advocating for employer and contractor clients across admiralty, maritime law, Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation, and Defense Base Act matters. She has represented vessel owners, railroads, stevedoring companies, military employers, and insurers in complex litigation and regulatory matters nationwide. Kathleen’s collaborative approach involves expert witnesses, mediators, and courts to secure op...

James P. Roy is a senior partner and managing member of the plaintiffs' personal injury firm Domengeaux Wright Roy Edwards LLC in Lafayette, Louisiana. Focusing his practice on civil litigation, he represents plaintiffs throughout Louisiana and the Gulf coast involving vehicular accidents, admiralty and maritime law, personal injury and wrongful death. Mr. Roy has served as co-lead class counsel for the BP Oil Spill, Deepwater Horizon multi-district federal litigation (MDL 2179). He has obtai...

Senior Counsel Will Bland, III, one of the founding members of the firm, has more than 49 years of experience as a litigator. Will’s practice focuses on maritime personal injury defense, maritime collision and property damage insurance coverage, contractual indemnity, longshore matters, transportation defense, and general litigation. His clients have included both Fortune 500 and local one-boat companies, and he regularly represents vessel operators, shipyards, both brown water and offs...

Marty McLeod practices in the area of marine and energy and business litigation law. He represents U.S. and foreign vessel owners as well as offshore energy companies in a variety of marine and energy matters, including regulatory issues, business counseling, bankruptcy, and property, loss of use, pollution and commercial disputes. Marty serves as the practice coordinator of Phelps Dunbar's New Orleans admiralty group and is a current member of the firm's Operations Committee. Prior to enteri...

Rodger focuses on maritime and oilfield transactions and litigation. This includes insurance coverage, marine finance and vessel documentation, litigation, corporate and commercial law, and international transaction primarily in Latin America. Rodger was born in Durham, North Carolina. His educational background includes: Phillips Academy (Andover), 1968; an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, 1972; a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University, 1977; and a Juris Do...

Nathan P. Horner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Nathan P., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nathan P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matthew’s experience and practice primarily includes the representation of shipyards, vessel owners and operators and contractors as well as other businesses in maritime, construction and commercial disputes. This experience includes the defense of Jones Act, Longshore Harbor and Worker’s Compensation Act, and maritime personal injury claims, as well as maritime contractual disputes and maritime property damage matters. Matthew’s experience also includes the defense of insur...

Grady Hurley is a partner in and co-leader of the maritime litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution team and co-chair of the Energy, Environmental & Natural Resources Industry Team. Since 1979, he has focused on maritime, oilfield, and energy litigation. Grady has broad-ranging dispute resolution and transactional experience at the intersection of energy and maritime law, including in areas such as offshore energy exploration, production, and distribution, where a range of complex ...

Member Alan G. Brackett, who is one of the firm founders, leads the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act defense team, which also handles claims arising under the Defense Base Act and War Hazards Compensation Act. Alan litigates claims nationwide for large corporations and insurance companies, including Chubb and American Longshore Mutual Association. As supported by the many peer honors he has received, including The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, Alan has develop...

Mr. Force practices in the areas of commercial litigation, admiralty, and complex insurance defense and coverage law and has represented clients at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Force is admitted to practice in Louisiana, Texas, and California and has practiced with law firms in each of those states. Mr. Force is an active member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, having served on its Board of Directors and as Chair of the MLA's Practice and Procedure and Young L...

Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Tod advises Fortune 500 corporations, established energy companies, and emerging alternative energy enterprises on the transactional, regulatory, and litigation issues they encounter in daily operations. His practice includes Admiralty and Maritime Law, as well as offshore, midstream , and environmental matters arising under federal statutes such as the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Natural Gas Act, NEPA, Deepwater Port Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act...